We'll See Each Other Again
by rach981
Summary: They met by chance, and they believed nothing could ever separate them. Set before Kingdom Hearts. Explores Squall and Rinoa's relationship before the fall of Radiant Garden. Squall and Rinoa.


Disclaimer: I own neither Kingdom Hearts nor the characters that are presented in this story. Those rights belong solely to the Walt Disney Company and Square Enix. No profit was made from this work.

Author's note: This is my idea of Squall and Rinoa's relationship in Kingdom Hearts before the original game takes place. I'm going to attempt to draw some parallels from Final Fantasy VIII, but it shouldn't be necessary that you've played the game to understand this story. It will be nothing but an Easter egg of sorts for those who have. I'm also attempting to draw elements in from Birth by Sleep, which I've researched on the Kingdom Hearts Wiki, but as the game has yet to come out in North America yet, I could very easily get things wrong and for that I do apologize. However, I do hope that this story is as canon as possible.

Chapter One: The Meeting

The inhabitants of Radiant Garden often enjoyed the serenity of the many gardens located all throughout world. Ansem the Wise, the benevolent ruler of the world wanted it to truly live up to its name and he always ensured that they were properly maintained. No one ever knew for sure, but many people believed Ansem had asked the wizard Merlin to enchant the gardens so that they would always beautiful.

Squall Leonhart, a young, sixteen year old, had recently taken up wondering the gardens during twilight. He had brown hair that went down to his neck, black pants which he had crossed three belts over, a plain, black bomber jacket he wore over a white shirt. He completed his look with a chain that had a proud lion roaring on the end. Griever. He was in training to be a member of Radiant Garden's Defense Corps. He used the gunblade, a sword-like weapon that had no gun feature, but had a trigger that, when used correctly, was disastrous for the foes he faced. When Squall was younger, he had chosen the weapon along with several others, but he was the only one who proved capable enough of continuing to use it.

Squall sighed as he started on the path that led to his favorite spot in the garden. He found that if he went at this time of the day, he rarely encountered people. Residents of Radiant Garden typically ate dinner with their families late, and he blatantly chose to come at this time so he wouldn't be reminded of his. His mother, Raine, died in childbirth. His father, Laguna Loire, had opted to give Squall his mother's maiden name so that her memory could live on through their son. He raised his son by himself the best he could and Squall never remembered him looking for someone else. He remained loyal to Raine even in death.

Laguna was a journalist for _Garden Maniacs_. It was a magazine that Laguna had helped carry of obscurity. He was the lead journalist and he often went away on research assignments. A few months back, he went on a relatively dangerous assignment to research new, strange creatures that had been appearing outside of the town. He never came back. Nothing was found of his body, either. He was just…_gone._ Squall wasn't sure how to feel. A part of him felt abandoned. Another part was just sad.

He and his father were never incredibly close, but they did get along despite their incredibly different personalities. Laguna sometimes got on Squall's nerves with his constant cheer, and Laguna often became frustrated with his son's aloofness, but they always supported each other. After Laguna's…disappearance, Squall was allowed to keep the house, but he opted to live in the housing provided for the Defense Corps cadets. He wanted to get out of the house full of memories. He still owned the place, however, as he just couldn't bring himself to completely rid himself of his only link to his past.

Squall continued down the path. It was starting to get dark out and the stars were beginning to pop out one by one. He stopped when he saw a girl sitting on the bench, her back facing him, gazing at the stars that were beginning to appear.

Abruptly, her head turned to another area of the sky, and he moved shifted his gaze to see a shooting star crossing the sky. He looked back at the girl, who was beginning to stand up. She turned, saw him, and smiled.

She had long, black hair that had three caramel streaks on each side of her head. She wore a flowing blue vest that went down to the bottom of her thighs. The vest had white angel wings printed on the back. Under the vest she wore a black v-neck tank top with matching black shorts. She had blue flip flops on her feet. Around her neck was a small chain, which had a silver ring on it.

She walked up to him slowly, continuing to smile, and began to speak.

"Hi, I'm Rinoa Heartilly. And you are?"

"…Squall. Squall Leonhart."

"Well, Squall Leonhart, what are you doing out here all by yourself on a night like this?" She put her hands on her hips and tried to give him a serious look, but then she started to giggle.

Squall looked into her brown eyes. He couldn't help but think that she was pretty.

"I could ask you the same question, Ms. Heartilly. At least I," he gestured towards his weapon in his right hand, "am armed."

"So I can see." She stepped closer to him. She looked into his blue eyes for awhile, as if studying him, and smiled. "Well, Squall, I have to leave now. But we'll see each other again. I'm sure of it." She smiled and walked past him before shouting "Goodnight," over shoulder.

Squall remained motionless and looked at the spot where she had been. Finally he whispered into the night, "Goodnight."

He couldn't help but hope that he would see the girl again.

So, let me know what you think. This is my first chaptered story, and I'm looking forward to it. Comments and criticisms are very much appreciated. If you found any errors, let me know.


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